Personal terms are also said to be unlikely to be an obstacle to the deal, although the teenager's representatives hope to treble his wages to £75,000-a-week in a five year deal.

Shaw, who signed a five-year contract at St Mary's on his 18th birthday last July, has made a big impact since his Southampton debut in November 2012, establishing himself in the side and earning his senior England debut against Denmark in February.

Chelsea had also been interested in Shaw but are believed to have switched their attentions to Atletico Madrid's Filipe Luis.

United need to act quickly with Evra's imminent departure as a free agent and have been searching for a replacement for the Frenchman all season, with rormer manager David Moyes failing in his attempts to sign Leighton Baines from Everton. He was also unsuccessful when he tried to get Fabio Coentrao on loan from Real Madrid on deadline day.

Shaw would likely be the first arrival under Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman is expected to be named as Moyes' permanent successor next week, having admitted he wants the job.

Watch England squad announcement live

Catch all the predictions, news and reaction as Roy Hodgson reveals who he wants to take with him in England World Cup squad for this summer's finals in Brazil here at ESPN.

Coverage starts at 1pm with a live video stream of the manager's press conference scheduled to start at 2pm.

Before news of United's bid for Shaw became public, Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger said: "It is really important that people respect that there will be conversations going on, beginning on Monday, with clubs. That is part of the business."